Here’s a review of each step. We covered #1 and #2 thus far.

1. Goal- Vision
2. Plan
3. Tools and Support
4. Progression
5. Joint Integrity

Tools and Support.  What do I mean by tools?  First off, ways to measure your progress would be where I would start.  That could be as simple as a tape measure to do some circumference readings and then body fat using the NAVY guidelines and website on line. http://fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Body-Fat-Navy

When you step on the scale to see you have lost 5 pounds, you do not know where that  5 pounds came from.  It could be fat, water or muscle.  I think it’s very important to test body fat MORE than body weight because ideally you want to keep all your muscle, lose any extra water but concentrate on using the fat as energy so your percentage keeps reducing.

Where do you workout?  If you like going to the gym, they have plenty of tools there for you to use.  If going to the gym is something you would rather NOT do, you can have very similar (but cheaper) tools at home or in your office.  A ball, mat, tubing, free weights, etc.  These are all tools.

You body weight, if you know how to apply it and use it properly, is a tool as well.  My biggest delight is taking men off the machines, having them do a workout with body weight and show them where they are weak (or not using the muscles).  Don’t underestimate body weight- esp if you are tall, big boned or broad shouldered.

Now my favorite tool for cardio- a heart rate monitor!  Why?  I have heard other trainers talk about high intensity training and using RPE (rate of perceived exertion).  I love RPE but here is the thing with PERCEPTION- it’s skewed.

An athlete will push themselves hard because they are used to it.  A non athletic person will feel their body and maybe not push as hard but THINK they are working as hard as they can.  If your threshold has not been challenged and your comfort zones expanded then you might not be working hard enough to change your body to the next level.

I had a client once for many years who has trained with dozens of trainers.  When we started working, I trusted that she was pushed hard so her perception was accurate to her fitness level and capabilities.  I’d find her RPE of “8” (out of 10) for each exercise and train her there.  I’d ask her at the next session if she felt anything the next day or 2 days later.  She replied no for the first 2 months.

This boggled my mind.  So after getting to know her better, I decided to increase her weight beyond her comfort zone and showed her what a REAL “8” was supposed to feel like.  From there on, her fitness level changed and she got great results.

This example was using RPE with strength training so let’s get back to heart rate.

I had a man in his 70’s that is a super successful businessman.  Great guy, not in touch with his body at all. His perception was that he was working hard but could not FEEL when his body was in crisis mode.  Luckily, he had a heart rate monitor on and I could see that he was hovering at 170+ while on the floor!!!  This is very dangerous.

Without the monitor, I may have pushed him harder.  I am glad I did not because that could have ended very badly.  You need to know where you are regardless of what you are doing.  When your fitness level increases, the same activity does not get your heart rate up to the same level anymore.  This is good news—it means you are more fit.  AND it’s time to change the exercise or something about it to get back into your zone.

Let’s review my tool suggestions so far:

1. Tape measure
2. Body fat test
3. Equipment for exercising
4. Heart Rate monitor

There are more but by now you get the point.  Let’s look at support now.

1. Family member or friend to be accountable to
2. Trainer, Nutritionist, Doctor to be accountable to and to create your program
3. Having the house or office set up to reinforce your goals
4. Gathering with like minded people to keep you on track
5. Using hypnosis to change your mindset or therapy to breakthrough some patterns
6. A journal  to use every day
7. A rewards system set in place to celebrate each step of your progress
8. And more!

As you know, we offer most of these things on our 6 Week Beach Body Program- that now you can get in download form, the entire program for only 97$! If you need some tools and support, you might want to consider investing into YOU today and get a jumpstart on summer! http://www.6weekbeachbodyinabox.com

“I definitely can see how my new habits have taken root. This is the most fabulous part of the whole program–feeling that there is knowledge and confidence within myself now and creating life long changes for the better. I have lost a total of 14 pounds, 10 inches and I am now automatically making healthy choices– this program works!“

Cindy Browne, Cincinnati Ohio

1. Goal- Vision
2. Plan
3. Tools and Support
4. Progression
5. Joint Integrity

Plan.   Yes, you need a PLAN.  If I decided to drive from LA to Lake Tahoe (a place I have never been before), I would need a map to show me where it was in relationship to where I am now.  Then, I would plan out a route to drive, considering that there may be multiple choices with factors that would influence me to choose the route I do.  Let’s now translate this to your body.

You have a goal.  Let’s assume it’s weight loss right now.  You want to lose 35 pounds and get to a weight you have not been at or seen in 25+ years.  Technically for you, this is new territory.  How will you get there? What is the plan? What happens at each stage? Do you know the stages?

On a road trip, you stop for gas.  On a weight loss plan, you stop for “progression” (we will cover this more in part 4).  On a road trip, you may run into a closed road or dangerous conditions that force you to choose another road that you didn’t plan on. (thank God you have a map!)

How many times have you tried to lose weight before and hit a road block and stopped?  Do you know what to do when you hit a road block?  Most people don’t (that is why they hire a trainer or coach) so they get frustrated, give up and decide they have failed.  This doesn’t have to be the case.  There is hope.

What elements do you need in your fitness/health map?  I teach a formula called the FITT principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type).  It’s outline in the 90 Day Health and Body Makeover Program, the 6 Week Beach Body in a Box and I believe in the 30 Day Jump Start (which you can get for free at http://www.invisiblefitness.com/” so I won’t go into all the details here.

Besides using the FITT principle properly, elements for your map are:

1. Resistance Training- we all need it.  Why?  It’s the basis of your metabolism.  The more active tissue you have (muscle) the more calories you burn (and can eat!) This is also your  “long term investment plan” for keeping weight off.
2. Cardiovascular- we all need this as well for keeping blood pressure low, improving cholesterol and all heart related functions and it’s the best way to burn calories in a short amount of time.
3. Food Log- Daily Diet Plan-  And I don’t mean “diet” as in “ give stuff up” , I refer to diet as in “what do you eat?”
4. Rest and Relaxation- we all need this to keep our adrenal hormones in balance (having adrenal fatigue causes weight loss resistance) as well as allow our muscles and body to “repair and rebuild” from our exercise.  The body changes in REST, not in work.  If you are working too much or too long, you never allow the adaptation to occur.

This would be what you need to address to START the map.  The next 3 weeks will give you a chance to see what other factors can help you make stages and “alternative routes” to your map so you get where you want to go this time!

Other questions to ask yourself about your plan:

1. How long/ how much time do I have to do each one of these steps a week- what is realistic for me?
2. Where will I do my workouts?  Will I have more than one choice?
3. Do I know which exercises are best for me for cardio?  Can I do more than one?  Do I have to do more than one?
4. Do I know if I am efficiently building muscle?  What exercises do I do now that build muscle?
5. Have I tested my bodyfat?  How would I?  How often should /will I retest it to see if what I am doing is working?
6. If I am super busy, what is the more important thing for me to focus on right now?  What will get me the most results?

If you have been struggling for a long time, as many people do, I hope you realize by now that I have options of how to help you!!  The first, a “do it yourself” program, is now available for less in download form!!  http://www.6weekbeachbodyinabox.com can be purchased so you can start TODAY with the download only choice.  This gives you step by step instructions and includes the breakdown to a fitness program you can do anywhere and includes the 90 Day DVD with 25 exercises on it.

I offer coaching over the phone and even personal training on Skype!  Check out one of my star clients:  

Click here to view the embedded video.

And of course, if you are local in CA, I can offer you a 5 package of sessions  to build a program for you to do on your own.  Call for details and to see if there is room in the schedule.  800 571 5722

“JJ helped me to understand that adding extra cardio workout is not what my body needs. 4 sessions with JJ has helped me more to shape my body and  to drop 5 pounds. Can only imagine how much more I can lose if I incorporate better eating habits. Thanks JJ “ Anita Trujillo

Once we hit the vortex of the canyon and say for some refreshments, it hit me like a lightning bolt out of the sky!

The Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Diet:
How Pleasure is the Missing Ingredient in Lasting Weight Loss

Do you want to be fit, fabulous and enjoy your life? Me too!! That’s why I am writing this book! Enough of the STARVATION and KILL YOURSELF WORKOUTS!!

This is why America is FAT! We think of getting fit and healthy as being TIME CONSUMING, TASTELESS, HARD and PAINFUL. It doesn’t have to be that way.

I love living a healthy life that includes my three favorite
indulgences: wine, cheese and chocolate and I plan to share with you how youcan include these foods or other favorites that you have and still lose weight.
About half of the population is still “dieting”, still gaining weight and not working out. WHY? I believe it’s because of our mindset about health and exercise.

It has been reported that the world now has more people who are overweight than people who are hungry.(PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2007)
According to the World Health Organization, The US is the world’s fattest nation,with over half of adults overweight or obese. But China and India are growing fatter at a faster pace. By 2015, the number of overweight and obese adults in China and India will grow by 66% and 44% respectively
(PricewaterhouseCoopers 2007). It’s time to do something differently!
I have been calling myself “the wine, cheese and chocolate trainer” for about five years to let my clients know that I believe in a balanced, realistic approach to weight loss and health.

Many of my fitness counterparts on TV represent a style or mindset about exercise that I consider extreme. When you watch some of those very popular fitness shows—all you see is PAIN.

They dedicate hours and weeks to exercise and cutting back food so the American population has been brainwashed to think that you need to give up life as you know it in order to lose weight and stay that way. Not true!
Some of these “celebrity trainers” have programs that body build or do extreme sports and some that I call “boot camp” trainers promote a military style of pushing until you drop. The benefit of pushing someone that hard usually creates fast, dramatic results. America watches every week as contestants lose 5-20 pounds on reality TV shows!

What America doesn’t see or hear about are the risks involved with this dramatic lifestyle change. The risks are usually joint injuries and muscle strain—the body worked at a level it wasn’t prepared for.

The average person can’t realistically commit hours of time and energy every day towards exercise in the prime stages of life. If you have a job and a family, creating time for exercise can sometimes be challenging.

I believe your diet and exercise program should change as your life changes. At every stage, you need something different. At every stage, you may have a different lifestyle. If your program doesn’t fit into your life then it most likely will be temporary andtherefore ineffective over time.

I started this book in 2008/2009 and shelved it when I got the contract for Knack Absolute Abs- Routines for a Fit and Firm Core.  But it’s always in my conversations and in my mind.

I have decided to beta test the Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Diet Program to test my theories in the book and prove that PLEASURE is the missing ingredient for lasting weight loss.

I will be unveiling it soon so stay tuned!  And drop me a reply here and let me know what you think of this idea!

First off, what is a vision board? Many of you already know and probably already have one but for those of you who do not, it’s a place where you put photos or quotes of things you would like to have in your life.  Some people cut them out of magazines and some people just throw up words or phrases that they create on the computer.

When The Secret came out, vision boards were a hot topic.  It’s how I manifested my husband in 3 weeks actually.  Jeanne knew this and wanted me to share my experience with their patients to inspire them to do the same and enjoy success in all areas of their lives- esp health and wellness.

How to do a vision board:

• Find and cut out pictures that inspire you
• Arrange and attach them to a cork board or posterboad
• Be as creative as you like or as simple as you like

How to USE a vision board:

Putting the pictures on the board will excite you as you do it.  The good, positive feelings you have will help to raise your energy and vibration causing you to become a magnet for higher energy things.

But once the board is up on the wall and you see it everyday, the effect will wear off unless you use it.

• Stand in front of your creation
• Pick 1 picture to focus on
• Imagine yourself IN the picture
• Concentrate on the smells, the sounds, and the feelings of touch or air on your body
• Focus on this until you FEEL something in your body for 1-2 minutes
• Open you eyes and carry these good feelings with you all day long

Vision boards are like exercise- they only work if you practice!

for guidance and coaching on your weight loss, exercise or wellness vision board be sure to start by visiting www.6weekbeachbody.com and get your free tools and inspiration and call us at 800 571 5722

1. As a cardio or more intense leg exercise warm up.
2. To get your heart rate up before a brisk walk or jog
3. In conjunction with a leg workout
4. As a 15 min cardio blast
5. For knee problems, you can replace the lunge with this.  The forces are different on the joint so tapping back and stepping up are easier and less “grinding” then a lunge. (I am not saying lunges are bad!)
6. This will build some muscle.  Depending on your fitness level, how tall you are and how much “mass” you have will determine the amount of resistance.

I use it at least once a week myself because it gets my heart rate up and prepares my legs for more difficult exercise.

Here is video #1 which is most of the explanation

Here is video #2 to make sure people were doing it correctly!

So why am I confused?  2 weeks ago I spent 7 days with a business colleague, who I will introduce to you later this year, who is launching her product and asked me to contribute.  I love to help people- that it why I am in this business.  Truly.

When I get a testimonial from a client whose life is now BETTER because I have touched it somehow, I automatically get energized to go out and find more people who need help!

I came away from my time with her and felt certain that I was on the right path but not sure what the next step to take was.  Can you relate at all?

Most of you who are entrepreneurs will totally get what I am saying because you can relate to all the ideas and ways in which you want to serve the world. It can get overwhelming.

For all of you who are not in business for yourself, it’s like knowing you have $100 to spend on 1 outfit and your favorite store, the one where all the clothes fit you perfectly, is having a HUGE sale and now you can only choose 1 outfit even though you could “justify” buying more because of the sale status.

I am the kid in the candy store with 10 cents and I want it all.

We’ll get back to my dilemma later but I want to ask you if you are confused.  Are you?  Watch this video I made for you and let me know if you can relate.

I am confused.

I think “not knowing” what to do in the gym or with exercise creates shame in people.

I think because there are so many publications that give you the “how to” experience that people become their own personal trainers hoping that what they do will work.

And for some of you – it has!  Congratulations!  You are not the group of people I am speaking to unless you have also incurred an injury during the time you have hired yourself to be your own personal trainer. If that is the case, you may want to keep reading as well.

Now I am the first to tell you that personal trainers only need to go to a weekend course in order to become a personal trainer.  They do not even need to step foot in the gym to do it either!  They can do it all online.

This should scare you.  Just a little bit.

The only, ONLY incentive to a trainer to ever get more education is if it’s required by their employer or they WANT to learn more.

Anyone can hang a shingle on a door, have a good body and personality and call themselves a trainer.  It happens every day.

In fact,  you may have met many trainers who do not seem very smart to you which makes you believe that this exercise thing must not be that hard-not real scientific.

Wrong.

But today is not about me educating you about what most trainers do not know (and I used to teach them so I can tell you first hand), today is about me telling you ITS OKAY IF YOU ARE CONFUSED about anything having to do with exercise or weight loss.

Now I can’t teach you all that I have learned in my 13 years of personal training but I can start you off with a few simple questions that would help you determine what to do next.

1. Have you been doing the same exercise routine for more than 6 months?
2. Would you like more results?
3. What is your #1 goal and are you 100% committed to it?
4. If not, what is the #1 reason that stands in your way?
5. What do you need to overcome this obstacle?

Once you answer those questions honestly, you can choose 1 thing to focus on that will shift your body in a positive direction towards the results you want.

I hope that helps.  Now back to me.

I have a MILLION ideas, I am not kidding, of how I can serve people in feeling gorgeous and confident in a bathing suit without starving or killing themselves in the gym. And it’s my turn to focus.

If you have some inspired ideas or I have touched your life in someway that you feels others would greatly benefit from- I ‘d love to hear it!!

I am not ashamed of asking for help.  I just spent 5 FULL days of being coached and learning about how to shift and grow my business so I can fully live my mission.  It’s scary, I am vulnerable but I need help too.

So I hope that you are also in the place of knowing that asking for help when it comes to weight loss and exercise is a powerful commitment to yourself that you want the best body and health you can have.

You can reach me at 800 571 5722 x 84 or email at info@invisiblefitness.com

We also have a 6 Week Beach Body free call coming up so register at http://www.6weekbeachbody.comI am

Join me for FREE on Saturday November 7^th at 10:15am at The Scottsdale Weight Loss Center where you will find your Easy Exercise Solution!

What you will learn:

What is stopping you from regular exercise

How to create a 15 min exercise routine that works!

Which exercises increase metabolism

Why you don’t need a gym

Why a plateau is a good thing and more!

JJ Flizanes has been a personal trainer since 1996 and has had her own company, Invisible Fitness, since May 2001.  JJ is well known in the media, she has appeared on NBC, KTLA, CBS, and Fox 11 as well as been featured in many local and national magazines.  She was chosen as best personal trainer in Los Angeles for 2007 by Elite Traveler Magazine’s Global Black Book and one of the featured trainers in Shape Magazine in 2003. JJ was chosen as a finalist for IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year 2009.Before starting her own company, she was the Director of Education for New York Sports Club in New York City. She is also the Fitness Expert for the Nourishing Wellness Medical Center’s Anti Aging Program in Redondo Beach and is also the Wellness Expert for FKC International.

Where:  Scottdale Weight Loss Center

9989 N. 95th St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
(480) 366-4400

When: Saturday  Nov 7th, 10:15am

Cost: FREE

To Register:  call 800 571 5722

BONUS:  All participants will also get a free gift!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I recorded a video for you with the help of Jeanne Peters RD of Nourishing Wellness and please note, I had just gotten back from my own workout so I am as real looking as they get here!  There were no makeup artists or airbrushing for me!!  My head gets cut off a little from time to time but you know what I look like so focus on the words I am speaking and what I show you with the bones!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Since our 6 Week Beach Body Program uses MIND TOOLS such as EFT, hypnosis and meditation, I wanted to share with you WHY and HOW you can lose weight by changing the way you THINK.

For some of you , the idea of hypnosis is being told to act like a chicken.  Wrong.

This article was written by Susan French, C.Ht.

Hypnosis is a powerful tool but exactly HOW does it work? The real magic is that hypnosis works as both a “magic wand” and as a “snowball gathering snow.”

Let’s take a look at each separately and then how they work together.

The magic-wand effect is when you have a hypnosis session and your issue is solved instantly and without further effort. Magic!

The snowball effect is what you experience with several hypnosis sessions, in which each session reinforces and enhances the relief created by previous sessions.

The reality is that both effects create permanent change. Hypnosis creates the initial change. Reinforcement ensures that the change lasts.

Reinforcement occurs when you regularly use a reinforcement CD made by your hypnotherapist, induce self-hypnosis, or through continued subsequent sessions with your hypnotherapist. Your hypnotherapist guides you in creating the initial change and reinforcing it, thereby accomplishing your goal of permanent, positive change.

Now, let’s look at it a little more closely.

We use hypnosis to change responses and behaviors. All responses and behaviors are learned. All that hypnosis really does is cause very rapid learning (or relearning) to take place so that new responses and behaviors become automatic.

Hypnosis allows this rapid learning to occur by interrupting the conscious, critical factor of the mind/brain. For reasons of survival, the critical factor of the mind/brain slows down the learning process. However, when those initial survival reasons are no longer necessary, it makes sense to interrupt or bypass the critical factor, which is precisely what hypnosis does – painlessly, safely, and effectively.

We know that no learning is INSTANT. You didn’t learn to ride a bike instantly. You didn’t learn to speak instantly. You didn’t learn to read or write instantly. You were taught the initial ideas and methods and those ideas were repeatedly reinforced until they become automatic.

Hypnosis allows that learning or relearning to happen more rapidly. However, as with any learning process, it needs to be reinforced. Thus, hypnosis is both a “magic wand” and a “snowball gathering snow.”

Let’s take a look at Joanna’s experience to get a better idea of exactly how hypnosis DOES work:

Joanna was sitting in the waiting room at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute. She was waiting for her first hypnotherapy appointment. She was desperate to lose weight. She had lost and gained at least three hundred pounds in her thirty-two years. Now, here she was, seventy pounds overweight again. She had tried everything.

She had heard some say that hypnosis could be like a magic wand. She had heard others say it didn’t work at all. Her best friend Martha had just lost fifty-five pounds using hypnosis. She said it was easy and it worked, but that Joanna would have to do her part too. Would it work for her?

If this reminds you of your own questions about weight loss and hypnosis, keep reading.

We can call the habit of overeating a food addiction, compulsive overeating, or a self-destructive habit. Whatever we call it, though, once that kind of behavior takes control, you will need to unlearn old, destructive behaviors and relearn new, constructive ones.

Joanna followed through with her hypnosis for weight loss. She learned the reasons she ate for comfort and she altered those behaviors. She learned that eating good, fueling foods were essential, and she incorporated those ideas into her daily life. She also learned that she needed to move her body more. Exercise became her oasis. It became her “me-time” every day.

Joanna lost her seventy pounds easily and happily and has maintained her new weight because she created a new relationship with food, with her body, and with life itself. That was five years ago.

Hypnosis makes the process of transforming counterproductive behaviors to productive behaviors easy, effective, and empowering. Any behavior that does not serve your goals and dreams can be changed using hypnosis.

Hypnosis accelerates your learning process so that what might have taken you twenty years to “learn” can be restructured in four to six sessions.

Hypnosis is being used in major medical institutions, such as, Harvard Medical School, UCLA, Stanford, Kaiser Permanente, Beth Israel Deaconness Hospital, and many burn centers, to ease pain, fear, and treatment [, and accelerate healing] for their patients.

Hypnosis is approved by, both, the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) for Complementary and Alternative Medical Treatment and as an adjunct to traditional treatments.

The moral of this story is this: if you are wondering if hypnosis is a magic wand or a cumulative change response (snowball effect), it is both!

If all else has failed and you are ready and committed to achieving your goals, it is time to try hypnosis. It works!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that’s why we use it as the foundation for changing your MIND on the 6 Week Beach Body Program.  We want you to have long lasting change, not temporary results!   http://www.6weekbeachbody.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Believe it or not, a lot of my clients both in person and over the phone are people who are already exercising regularly but are NOT seeing results.  One of my favorite clients above, Michael Schapa, was one of those very diligent people who exercised 4-5 times a week consistently.  But he wasn’t seeing any results in terms of muscle building, increasing metabolism or weight loss.

" I have lost 28 pounds so far and muscles galore at age 67!"

Click on the picture above to watch his recent video testimonial and this is also what he had to say a few months back:

“There is no doubt that I could not have achieved the weight loss without J.J’s relentless innovative and ever changing exercise program. J.J.’s routines are highly effective as well as being sensitive not to aggravate old injuries. Consequently I had the gain with no pain. J.J actually listens to my joints for any creeks and squeaks to make sure that no injuries are being developed.

On top of being extremely knowledgeable in the field of physical fitness, she also has a great personality. She knows how to motivate and encourage moving on to ever more advanced routines.  I found her next-day follow ups to be very helpful in judging how effective the workout was. Put all this together, assures me that I am in very good hands indeed. In short, she is a keeper.” Dr. Michael Schapa

I decided to dedicate on section of this newsletter to all of you out there who are already exercising often but not seeing results.  I am going to explain the principle I use and hope you will apply it to your workouts as well.

It’s called the FITT Principle:  Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type.

Frequency: The number of days or workout sessions- for example I did 2 in one day last week.   In the morning I did legs and some cardio and at night I went dancing.  That counts as 2 sessions towards frequency.

Intensity: The level at which you are working.  We use both RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) and heart rate. Our RPE scale is 1-10, 1 = being on the couch resting and 10= the hardest you could ever work and almost collapse.  You will rate the RPE as well as log the heart rate information.  THRZ (Target Heart Rate Zone) will also be KEY in seeing your fitness level improve and making your exercise time efficient. 

Time: The duration of the exercise.

Type: Walking, running, biking, resistance training, etc…..

You can apply this principle to both resistance and cardio training, but please make separate graphs for each.

Here is an example of an 8 week plan or record.

.

F.                 I.                    T.                T

F.                  I.                  T.                  T

I would like you to create 2 charts and fill in the first lines with what you are doing NOW.  How long have you been doing the same thing?  Is it still working?  If the answers are, “too long” and “ no”, then figure out which of the FITT principles you could adjust.  I would recommend adjusting 1-2, NOT all 4.

Do this for your resistance training as well to see why you might not be experiencing the same results as you may have when you started.

Just because you exercise regularly doesn’t mean you are getting the most out of it- or even doing what is best for you to make the changes you seek!

I’d love to help- so let me know if you could use some tweaking!  http://www.invisiblefitness.com